Mothers and Daughters
by DrKCooper
Summary: A series of missing scenes and post-ep scenes for "Dance With the Devil" (4x05). Focuses on Maura coming to terms with her relationship with Hope. With, of course, the help of Jane. Eventual Rizzles. Rating begins at K, will progress.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: All recognizable _Rizzoli & Isles_ characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners including, but not limited to Tess Gerritsen. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fan fiction story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No financial gain is associated with the publishing of this story. No copyright infringement is intended._

_Author's Note: This is a series of missing scenes and post-ep scenes for "Dance With the Devil" (4x05) that I have been working on. It will be lengthy and heavy. Eventual Rizzles. You'll read a quote about friendship that does not belong to me. The quote was written by Jeffrey Bell for the character of Scully in an _X-Files_ episode called "Rain King." Thank you for reading and always for your kind reviews. –DKC_

**Mothers & Daughters**

Jane closed the door behind Hope and turned back to her best friend who was still sitting at the kitchen island sipping her tea. Jane found herself confused as to why Maura would want Hope there in the first place. She knew Maura didn't accept comfort well, but maybe Maura needed Hope to see her hurt because of Paddy.

"She likes you," Jane said quietly as she approached the island and sat next to her friend.

"She has to, I'm her daughter," Maura responded.

"You and I both know that isn't true," Jane covered Maura's hand with her own.

"When you begin dating a man, how do you tell him about Hoyt?" Maura looked into her cup of tea.

"Did I miss something or is this just another of your awkward segues?" Jane tilted her head to look at Maura, confusion written all over her face.

"Your hands give you away. Surely it comes up," the doctor was back to contemplating her tea.

"I…" Jane took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I can't hide my scars. You're right. But I try to put off that particular conversation as long as possible."

"Surely you have to talk about it before you have sex," the doctor said matter-of-factly.

"Uh," Jane took a gulp of her own tea. "You overestimate my love life,"

"Gabriel already knew. When did you tell Casey?" Maura looked at her friend for the first time since asking such a personal question.

"Casey knew I'd gone through something. Everyone knew. I guess I didn't tell him until after we…" Jane hesitated.

"Had sexual intercourse?" Maura helped.

"Ugh. Why do you have to say it like that?" Jane blushed.

"How do you broach a topic like Hoyt?" Maura wondered aloud.

"The same way you and I talked about it," Jane answered quickly.

"Tears and wine?" Maura smiled at Jane.

"Why do you ask, Maur?" Jane was very curious now.

"How will I know when and how to explain my family to someone I'm, well, dating?" Maura's question prompted Jane to squeeze Maura's hand.

"You'll know," Jane pressed her shoulder against Maura's. "If he cares about you, he'll be understanding of Paddy and Hope and thankful that your adoptive parents gave you what they could."

"He's a mobster, Jane," Maura paused before choking on her next words. "A murderer."

"Maybe you should play up Hope," Jane tried to lighten the moment.

"She built an international organization on money from that mobster and murderer. She had a child with him," Maura was struggling.

"It was pretty ballsy of you to tell Hope you'd like her to go back in time and sleep with somebody else," Jane stood up, walking their empty cups to the sink.

"It certainly would make things less complicated," Maura stood.

"You wouldn't be who you are," Jane rounded the island and stood near her best friend. "That would be a tragedy."

"Would it?" Maura's self-confidence always crumbled when Hope or Paddy made appearances in her life.

Jane reached out her hands, taking both of Maura's hands in her own. She gripped those soft hands and looked into the doctor's eyes. She hoped that her sincerity would show in her eyes.

"You are the most important person in my life and without you, I don't know who I would be. That matters. You matter. And you are the person you are because of a decision that was made thirty-seven years ago. It may be complicated, it may be difficult, but it's part of who you are. I love the person you are."

Tears had escaped Maura's eyes as she listened to Jane. The detective released Maura's hands to reach up to wipe away those tears. Once she'd wiped each tear away, she continued to hold Maura's face in her hands.

"Maur…" Jane whispered. The pain in Maura's eyes was tearing the brunette apart.

"It would be so easy if I never had to have the conversation about where I came from with anyone ever again."

"I…" Jane was lost in Maura's hazel eyes, lost in the possibilities of what Maura was saying.

Suddenly Maura's lips were on Jane's and her arms were around the detective's strong shoulders. The kiss deepened quickly as Maura's tongue traced Jane's bottom lip. She pressed her tongue against Jane's, asking for entry. Jane pulled back, her hands dropping to Maura's hips to hold her in place.

Jane gripped Maura's hips tighter as Maura gave her a disappointed look.

"What was that?" Jane asked, not dropping eye contact.

Maura's smile snuck out and melted Jane immediately.

"This isn't just because you wouldn't have to have the mobster/murderer talk with me, is it?" Jane smirked as she pulled Maura to her and wrapped her arms around her.

"That's just a bonus," Maura began walking to the stairs, leaving Jane grinning, though completely baffled, and stuck in place. "Don't forget the lights, Jane."

The detective did as she was told, flipping off light switches as she walked toward the spot where her best friend had just been standing. She knew when she arrived tonight that she would be staying. She knew when she arrived that if Maura asked her to hold her and give her comfort, she wouldn't turn down the opportunity. She hadn't imagined that she would be going to bed following Maura kissing her passionately—going to bed _with_ Maura.

Jane climbed the stairs and entered Maura's bedroom where she found the blankets pulled down already. There was a pair of shorts and a t-shirt at the foot of the bed, perfectly laid out for Jane. Maura was in the bathroom brushing her teeth from the sounds of it. Jane quickly changed her clothes, turned on the bedside lamp and shut off the overhead light. As Maura exited the bathroom, a look passed between the two women. Jane walked toward the bathroom to brush her teeth, her arm grazing Maura's as she passed.

When Jane exited the bathroom she found Maura curled up under the covers. Their eyes met, but no words were exchanged. Jane crawled into the bed, shutting off the lamp as she did so. Maura turned over and shifted back against Jane. The detective gladly wrapped her arms around Maura and pulled her tight.

"When you asked me if I missed my dad," Jane's voice was quiet and serious. "It's not the same you know."

"Hmm?" Maura whispered, her hand reaching for Jane's.

"My dad, Paddy. You, Hope. They are very different."

Jane's mouth was very close to Maura's ear, her cheek against Maura's wavy hair as she continued to hold the smaller woman tight against her.

"If you had killed Paddy…" Maura started, but was stopped by Jane shushing her.

"Shh…let's not revisit that. You hate 'what ifs'."

"I don't miss Paddy. I don't even miss Hope. I miss the years I didn't have with the people who gave me life. Is that irrational?"

"There's nothing irrational about wanting time back, time that you should have had with people who are a part of your very being," Jane hummed to Maura.

"Do you think Hope and I will ever be close?" Maura's voice cracked a bit as she asked.

"I think tonight was a good first step," Jane reassured.

"I don't know that I'll ever truly trust her. How could I?"

"You know what?" Jane pressed a soft kiss to Maura's temple. "I've never told anyone I've been with everything. Hoyt, you know?"

Jane's confession was surprising to Maura in some ways and not at all in others. Maura brought Jane's hand up to her lips, their fingers intertwined, and kissed it gently.

"Do I know everything? I mean, I know everything about that day at the prison, but before. Do I know everything?"

"Yes," Jane breathed.

Maura clenched Jane's hands closer, pressing herself further back into Jane. A single tear fell as the weight of what Jane said set in. She may never trust Hope completely. She certainly would never trust Paddy. But Jane? There was no one she had ever met who held her trust like Jane.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: I currently have this story genre set at hurt/comfort and romance. That may be a bit misleading. There's friendship, there will be a little angst (as any good story has) and drama. -dkc_

**Chapter Two**

Watching Maura approach her mobster father as Lt. Cavanaugh held a gun to his head was extremely emotional for Jane. There was adrenaline, fear and pride pumping through Jane's veins as she watched her best friend tell Paddy Doyle that the love of his life was about to testify against him. She couldn't begin to imagine how Maura was feeling knowing that she had essentially coerced Hope into testifying against Paddy and Hope was doing it for the daughter she thought had died. Jane had pulled Maura back as she and Korsak reached Cavanaugh to take his gun. Her fear disappeared, but the emotions raging inside her did not.

As they sat at the Dirty Robber eating sweet potato fries and drinking, Jane wanted Maura to know how proud of her she was, but she didn't know how say it. Only Maura could make Jane feel like a timid, dumbfounded teenager. Instead, she fell into the easy banter with Maura that had been a constant throughout their friendship.

They talked about Cavanaugh and whether he would have pulled the trigger. Maura teased Jane by suggesting she was pulling up a study on violence in men's rooms on her tablet. They joked back and forth, a carefree tone to their dinner that had been missing over the last few weeks. Maura ordered dessert at Jane's insisting and they dug into it with the two spoons Maura requested. Jane's grin could not have been wider as she ate the sweet concoction that her best friend had ordered for her.

"Is something going on between Angela and Vince?" Maura asked casually causing Jane to choke on the bite she'd taken.

"Ma? No!" Jane was defensive if only because she hated thinking about her mother having any sort of personal life.

"We haven't spoken," Maura's face revealed the disappointment that was still on the surface after Angela gave Cavanaugh the video that could have kept her locked up.

"Still?" Jane pushed the dessert plate toward Maura offering her the final bite.

"It's complicated," Maura smirked at Jane knowing that she was using a line Jane was fond of using in situations like this.

"Isn't everything with my mother?" Jane watched as Maura took the final bite, her tongue briefly appearing to lick the spoon.

Jane felt a heat move through her body as she watched the slight action of Maura's tongue. The memory of kissing Maura the night before caused Jane's face to flush. Jane shook her head slightly and then signaled the bartender for another beer.

"Do you want something?" Jane asked her friend. "You can't be satisfied by that water you're drinking."

"Hmm… I actually think I'd like something more…" Maura was looking for the exact word to describe the drink she wanted.

"Stiff?" Jane interrupted her.

"Yes!" Maura smiled.

When the waiter delivered Jane's beer and took away their empty dessert plate, Maura stopped him.

"Can I get two shots of Bully Boy whiskey?"

"White or straight?" the waiter inquired.

"Straight."

"Yes ma'am," the waiter returned to the bar.

"Shots? Is that a good idea?" Jane questioned.

"Why would it be a bad idea?" Maura tilted her head and gave Jane a look that told the detective her friend needed this tonight.

"At least chase it with a beer," Jane winked at Maura.

As the waiter returned with Maura's shots, Jane ordered two additional shots and two more bottles of beer. Maura couldn't help but smile when Jane reached for one of Maura's shot glasses and threw back the honey liquid.

"Oak?" Jane asked, certain Maura would know the origin of this particular spirit.

"Very good, Jane."

Maura swallowed the liquid quickly, but not as smoothly as her friend. She reached for Jane's beer and took a drink of it before handing it back to her friend. Jane's fingers covered Maura's briefly as they completed the exchange. Jane looked up into Maura's eyes and saw something there that resembled the look she had seen on the doctor's face the night before just before they kissed.

The waiter delivered the rest of their drinks and Jane quickly threw back the shot. Maura watched the brunette's throat as she swallowed the burn.

"I don't think this whiskey was designed for shots," Jane plunked her glass down on the table.

"No, I suppose not. The caramel notes would be better savored," Maura commented before throwing back her own drink and then placing the glass on the table much more gently than Jane had.

The two women then focused on the beer that sat in front of them. They watched their surroundings and were entertained by the looks on the faces of other patrons who were coming into the Dirty Robber for the first time since the new management took over. Many patrons were sniffing the herbs on their tables.

"Would you like to come over tonight?" Jane asked, surprising herself and Maura with her boldness.

"I would love to," Maura answered quickly.

"We'll need to stop and grab wine, I'm out," Jane said before finishing off her still chilly beer.

"We don't need wine," Maura told her.

"The great Dr. Isles is going to drink beer twice in one night?" Jane teased.

"Only with the great Detective Rizzoli," Maura smiled.

As Maura finished the remainder of her beer, sipping slowly, Jane found her breath momentarily taken as she felt Maura's calf rub against her own under the table. Jane chalked it up to the alcohol the doctor had consumed in short order.

"Would you like to walk or catch a cab? I'm not sure either of us should drive."

"A cab," Maura answered.

Jane pulled out her phone, dialed the familiar number and asked for a cab to come to the bar. She was told a cab was en route and would be there in a few minutes. Jane stood and reached for the jacket Maura had taken off at some point while they were eating. She turned back to give it to Maura and found the doctor holding out the mint plant to her.

"Again with the plant?" Jane drawled.

"Mint, Jane. Not just any plant. Fresh mint is more effective than any gum or breath mint currently on the market."

There was a twinkle in Maura's eye. Jane suddenly realized why Maura was suggesting she take a leaf or two of mint. To appease her friend, she grabbed a stem and popped it in her mouth.

Jane held out the jacket to her friend who stepped into it. She was attempting to calm her nerves. She had no idea what Maura was expecting. They made their way to the door, Jane guiding Maura with her hand at the small of her back. The second they stepped outside a cab pulled up to the curb.

"Rizzoli?" the cabbie asked from a rolled down passenger window.

"Yup," Jane reached out to open the door for Maura.

As the two friends slid into the cab, Maura placed her hand on Jane's thigh and giggled as the cab had to dodge an inebriated patron who was attempting to catch up to his friends across the street. Jane knew that Maura only giggled like that when she was drunk or nervous. Jane suspected both were the culprit now.

When they arrived at Jane's condo, Maura paid the driver and climbed out of the cab as Jane watched her, completely distracted by curves she had never let herself truly appreciate without feeling guilty.

"Jane?" Maura's voice pulled her out of her trance. "Are you coming?"

Maura was biting her lip to keep from grinning at Jane. Jane caught up to Maura and opened the outer door for her before leading the way to her own door. As she put the key in the door, Maura's hand touched her shoulder and nearly caused Jane to drop the keys.

"We need more alcohol," Maura announced as they entered the condo.

"I don't object," Jane said as she made her way to the kitchen cupboard. "Beer or bourbon?"

"Hmm… both."

Maura sat down on Jane's couch, kicking off her heels and pulling her legs under her. She'd already shrugged off her jacket. Jane brought two glasses and the bottle of bourbon then returned to the kitchen to grab the beer. She sat the beer down on the coffee table and took off her suit jacket while kicking off her boots.

"Here," Jane said as she handed Maura the first glass she had poured.

"Thanks," Maura smiled at Jane as she took the glass and sipped it.

"Taking it easy now?" Jane teased at how Maura approached her bourbon.

"Thought I better," Maura took another sip. "I don't want to embarrass myself."

"When have you ever?" Jane did not sip her bourbon, but instead let it all burn as it slid down her throat in one gulp.

"Need I remind you that you found me passed out on my couch, completely disheveled with no memory of the previous night not long ago?" Maura raised an eyebrow.

"That was not the result of bourbon," Jane reminded her.

"No, but one morning of you finding me passed out in my clothes is enough for a lifetime."

"You'd rather I find you passed out without your clothes?" Jane realized that what was meant to sound teasing was more flirtatious than anything else.

Maura didn't say a word as she held Jane's gaze over the top of her glass. Their eyes did all of the talking. The doctor bit her lip as the detective licked her lips.

"I saw something on your face that morning," Maura broke the silence.

"Shock?" Jane said, realizing her voice had dropped to a lower rasp than it was just a minute before.

"No," Maura tried to remember the exact look on Jane's face as she found her best friend passed out on the couch. "Something else."

"Concern?"

"Yes, but that isn't what I was referring to."

Jane hoped that Maura didn't see jealousy on her face that morning. She realized afterward that she had been slightly jealous at first of the man who had enjoyed Maura enough to leave her passed out on her couch. The memory of that feeling caused guilt to wash over the detective.

"Jane?" Maura caught Jane's attention. "Disappointment."

That got Jane's undivided attention. She abandoned her drink and slid closer to Maura, placing a hand on the doctor's thigh.

"Maura, absolutely not. I could never be disappointed in you. And certainly not because I found you passed out on your couch."

"You weren't disappointed that I'd been careless?" Jane's dark eyes were burning into Maura's as she began rubbing circles on Maura's thigh.

"Believe it or not, Maur, you're human. Everyone makes mistakes. But that night you did nothing wrong. You were lied to. You were a pawn in his game. You were not to blame for that night."

The doctor's face had dropped at the mention of the man who had turned her life upside down. Tears began falling down her cheeks.

"Oh, honey," Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's shoulders and pulled her against her chest.

Maura's tears began falling more rapidly. She unfolded her legs and curled into Jane.

"I could never be disappointed in you, Maura Isles. Never."

"Do you think Paddy and Hope are disappointed in me?" Maura choked back a sob.

"If they are, they're blind. They have no reason or right to be disappointed in you. And what do they matter? They don't know you as well as the rest of us," Jane's hand left Maura's shoulder and tangled in Maura's hair, tilting the doctor's head toward her own, their temples meeting.

"You mean you," Maura mumbled. "Nobody knows me like you."

Jane didn't know how to respond to that, but it didn't matter. Maura's sobs became more intense. Her body trembled. Jane held her tight and let her cry. Maybe this is what Maura needed. Jane thought Maura needed the alcohol to numb the pain, but it turned out nothing could numb the pain of the last several weeks.

"You've never given anyone any reason to be disappointed in you," Jane hummed against Maura's head as she continued to hold her best friend against her.

Maura continued to sob into Jane, the one place she knew she could find comfort, safety and solace.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Ugh. Another episode of Casey frustration. If nothing else, it seems to motivate this fandom to write more Rizzles. Thank you all for your kind reviews. I'm still not certain where this piece is going, but it will come together. I promise. -dkc_

**Chapter 3**

Jane held Maura as she cried, whispering calming words against the crown of her head and brushing her hair back from her tear-soaked face. It broke Jane's heart to see her friend like this.

After several minutes of shushing Maura, holding her tight against her, Jane realized that Maura's breathing had steadied and her tears had subsided. Glancing a peek, Jane smiled as she noticed Maura had fallen asleep. Mental challenges were nothing to Maura, but the struggle of emotions could exhaust the doctor quickly. Jane had learned this over the years. Jane continued to hold Maura, rubbing her thigh with one hand and holding her tight with the other. After about twenty minutes, the detective decided it was time to move Maura to bed.

"Maura, sweetie," Jane whispered, the doctor stirring slightly. "Let's get you changed and into bed."

Jane released Maura enough that she could turn their bodies to face one another, the detective holding the doctor up with her shoulders. Jane was contemplating picking up Maura and carrying her to the bedroom, but didn't want to startle the doctor if she did happen to wake up in transit.

"Maur…" Jane jostled Maura's shoulder. "Wake up."

This time Maura's stirring was more purposeful. She tilted her head up to look at Jane. There was innocence in Maura's sleepy eyes that took Jane's breath away.

"Let's go to bed," Jane hummed.

"Here we are again," Maura's sleepy voice contrasted with her attempts to stretch away the grogginess.

"Hmm?" Jane didn't follow.

"Me passed out on a couch," the doctor wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"You crying yourself to sleep is hardly you passing out on a couch," Jane reached for Maura's hand to lead her to bed. "Besides, this time it is my couch."

The smirk on Jane's face washed away Maura's embarrassment. She took Jane's hand and allowed her to lead her to the bedroom.

"At least I was dressed and as far as I can tell I am not disheveled," Maura said as they entered Jane's bedroom.

"Mascara smudges don't qualify as disheveled?" Jane teased as she dug through her dresser for sleeping clothes for them both.

As Jane turned back to Maura she was surprised to find her friend standing there in nothing but her panties and a camisole she must have been wearing under her shirt. Jane tried not to look, but she couldn't help her gaze traveling the length of Maura's toned legs and then up her torso. When her eyes met Maura's, she wasn't able to speak and she blushed.

"Is the mascara bad?" Maura asked with a coy smile on her lips.

"No," Jane's voice was raspy and raw.

"You aren't just saying that?" Maura refused to break eye contact with Jane.

"Umm…no," Jane removed her shirt down to her tank top and unbuttoned her pants, but stopped there.

Maura sensed the uneasiness in Jane and turned around to walk to her side of the bed. Jane took the opportunity to drop her pants and throw on some shorts. She removed her bra from under her tank top and walked toward the bed. Pulling back the blankets, she paused to appreciate how natural it felt to be crawling into bed with Maura. They had done this so many times, usually at her house because she didn't have a guestroom like Maura did, but sometimes at Maura's house they circumvented the guest room for Maura's larger bed.

"Jane?" Maura's small voice broke Jane's daze.

"Hmm?" Jane crawled into bed, shutting off the lamp as she did so and settled facing Maura who was already under the blankets turned toward Jane.

"Imagine you spent your entire life without a child you carried and gave birth to," Maura began causing Jane to raise an eyebrow. "How would you feel if you suddenly met this child, well, a grown woman?"

"I…" Jane paused. "It would be a shock, I think, but a good one."

Jane reached for the hand Maura had rested on the mattress between them. She knew from Maura's question that Maura had returned to thoughts of Hope.

"Do you think you could ever do it?" Maura asked quietly. "Place your child in the adoption system?"

Jane looked at Maura as she contemplated the question.

"It wasn't Hope's decision, Maur," Jane shook her head, but still wanted to answer the question. "I don't know, to be honest. Adoption is much more accepted today than it was when we were children, but even today there's this curiosity about it and, to a degree, shame. As if it is always a poor decision that brings a woman to that moment."

There was a single tear making its way to the mattress. Jane reached up to wipe it from Maura's cheek. Instead of dropping her hand back to where it had been on Maura's, she left her hand on Maura's cheek.

"It takes a great deal of courage. I'm not sure I have that kind of courage."

Maura looked surprised to hear Jane say that she wasn't courageous enough for such a thing. There was no one Maura had met in her entire life she considered more courageous than Jane Rizzoli.

"Does it take courage to find the person who gave you life?" Maura wondered.

"God yes," Jane was quick with her reply.

"You're the most courageous person I know," Maura was thinking of her previous question. Her eyes were dark, sad even.

"Not about matters of the heart," Jane's answer spoke volumes. Maura knew Jane's answer to be honest, though a bit hard critical.

"That isn't true," the doctor reached for Jane's bicep. "There is no part of life you don't approach with an immense amount of courage."

"Not like you," Jane's thumb twitched wanting desperately to brush Maura's soft cheek.

"That isn't true," Maura countered. "What I have done in my life is hardly courageous."

"You looked for Hope," Jane whispered as she allowed her thumb to brush the soft skin she'd been craving. "You…" Jane paused. "You became one of the most intelligent, successful women I know all without the emotional and moral support of a tight-knit family. You…" Jane's thumb stilled. "You kissed me."

Maura offered a slight smile as her hand covered the hand Jane held on her cheek.

"I kissed you once," Maura began. "But it's the second kiss that takes courage. One kiss can be attributed to any number of things."

Jane breathed a short chuckle. Leave it to Maura Isles to have a theory about kissing. Why not? Maura seemed to have a theory about everything. Carefully constructed and tested theories were what kept Maura steady and confident.

"Does a second kiss have to be initiated by the same person as the first for it to qualify as a second kiss, Dr. Isles?" the slight teasing in Jane's voice was only a cover for the emotion that had overcome her.

"No, I don't believe so as long as the two participants remain the same," Maura's theory was what she used to cover her own emotion. They weren't so different, Jane and Maura.

Slowly Jane closed the short space between them and pressed her lips to Maura's. It was gentle and comforting, yet emotional and passionate. Maura placed a bit of pressure on Jane's hand resting on her cheek and Jane responded by deepening the kiss. She traced Maura's bottom lip before the doctor's lips parted in a breathy sigh. The detective entered Maura's mouth with her tongue, cautiously, as if it was a darkened hallway with danger looming at the other end. As she met Maura's tongue, a relief washed over her. There was no danger here. Just Maura.

The two women kissed slowly, passionately, until they both needed air. The kiss broke and they pressed their foreheads together.

"Courage, Jane," Maura whispered as she wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Even in matters of the heart."

The two friends fell asleep in that position after an incredibly long and emotional day. They would need courage in the days ahead certainly, but for now they were content like this. Just Jane and Maura.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: The heavy Hope & Maura stuff will be less now, I promise. Doesn't seem to be going over well with readers. At least the reads/follows/favorites are way down on this story. I appreciate those of you who have taken a moment to leave a review. As I mentioned before, there's a quote in this piece that does not belong to me. It appeared in "The Rain King," an episode of the great series _The X-Files_. -dkc_

**Chapter 4**

Jane and Frankie were at the gym playing basketball. Frankie was kicking Jane's ass and she knew it. She was giving it everything she could physically, but mentally she was elsewhere.

The two siblings took a break to drink the Gatorade they had sitting on the bench. Out of breath and sweaty, they both drank in silence. Frankie looked at his sister with concern on his face.

"What's up, Janie?" Frankie asked.

"What do you mean?" Jane looked over her bottle at him.

"I'm kicking your ass out there," Frankie gestured to the court. "You're playing, but it's like your body is here and the rest of the you is somewhere far, far away."

Jane shrugged, taking another drink. She didn't know what to tell her brother. She knew she wasn't truly committed to the game, but she didn't know how to talk to her kid brother about everything on her mind.

"Come on, you know you can tell me anything," Frankie continued.

"It's just…" Jane looked up to avoid Frankie's gaze. "Maura."

"Ohhh…" the young man answered in a teasing tone, a smile breaking across his face.

"Not like that!" Jane slugged him in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" he rubbed the spot she'd hit.

"Well, sort of," Frankie raised his eyebrows. "But that's not it. I'm worried about her."

"What's going on?" Frankie's tone changed as he picked up on how concerned Jane truly was.

"Paddy's trial and Hope attempting to be part of her life is really hard for her."

"Yeah, I can see how that'd be a lot," Frankie listened patiently for his sister to tell him more.

"She hasn't talked to Constance about Hope at all. Or Paddy's trial, from what I can tell. And that whole thing with Ma giving Cavanaugh that video has strained their relationship."

Frankie took another drink and kept his eyes on Jane. He knew that when Jane needed to talk it was best to just listen and then if she asked for any sort of advice to do his best.

"She has spent her entire life dealing with the hardest parts of life on her own. I don't want her to have to. But I don't know how to help her with this. It's hard, you know?"

Frankie nodded his head, but said nothing.

"We have always had Ma and Pop, well, Pop until now. We have always had all the support in the world. We may not have had a lot of money, but we always had what we needed. I worry that she isn't getting the emotional and moral support she needs through this."

"Jane," Frankie finally spoke. "She has you."

Shaking her head, Jane took another drink and didn't say anything.

"She does. You are the best friend a person could have. When we were kids, you were my best friend. Hell, you still are. I can't count the number of things you helped me through."

"Frankie, it's different."

"How? It's not so different."

"This isn't something I know anything about, Frankie. I don't have a clue how to help her with this. She's sure that Hope is going to be disappointed in her as she gets to know her better. She's sure that nobody will ever want her once they realize who her biological father is. I have never seen her be anything less than confident. In social situations, okay, she's awkward, but that doesn't mean she doesn't do awkward with all the confidence in the world."

"You think she'll adjust to all of this as time passes? I mean, once she and Hope get to know each other better and it stops being so new?"

"I don't know. I really don't."

"Are you going to be there through it all?"

Jane gave Frankie an almost furious look as if he was accusing her of ditching Maura.

"Of course I am!"

"Then she'll be okay," Frankie's voice was soft and comforting, something she hadn't heard from her little brother in some time.

"How do I help her, Frankie?" Jane's voice was beginning to show the emotion that was bubbling inside her.

"Be there for her. Reassure her. Remind her that she is a wonderful, strong person. Be the friend you have always been to her and to me."

Jane looked up, this time an attempt to hold the tears in her eyes.

"What if I'm not strong enough?" Jane's voice cracked.

"Are you kidding me? The Jane Rizzoli who survived Charles Hoyt? The Jane Rizzoli who was the youngest woman to graduate from the academy? The Jane Rizzoli who survived taunts and pranks throughout? That Jane Rizzoli is the strongest person I have ever known." Frankie reached a hand to place on his sister's shoulder.

"I love her, Frankie," Jane couldn't hold in the tears any longer, but wiped at them quickly to hide the evidence.

"I know," Frankie wasn't surprised to hear this.

"How did this happen?" Jane had beaten the tears away and was now looking at her brother.

"Really? You don't know?" Frankie smiled.

"What does that mean?" Jane brushed his hand off of her shoulder.

"Remember when we used to watch _The X-Files_ when I was in high school?" Jane raised an eyebrow at Frankie. "I know, I know. Hear me out.

"There was this episode where this guy could control the weather. You know the one?" Jane nodded. "He was a real sleaze. The ever-lovely Agent Scully said something in that episode that you told me was the best philosophy on relationships you had ever heard. She said that 'the best relationships—the ones that last—are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship."

Jane smiled slightly at the memory of both watching _The X-Files_ with her brothers and the thought of relationships rooted in friendship.

"She said, 'one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.'"

"Did you memorize that?" Jane teased Frankie.

"Well, you said it was a good philosophy. I listened," Frankie shrugged off how amazing it was that he listened so carefully to everything his big sister said and took it to heart.

"I hadn't thought about it in a long time," Jane rubbed the backs of her hands. "I wish I had."

Frankie smiled at this, knowing that what he'd reminded Jane of was precisely what she had with Maura, whether either of them wanted to admit it.

"You'll be everything Maura needs, Jane. You always have been."

Jane took a minute to let that sink in. She hoped her brother was right.

"You had a major crush on Scully," Jane teased.

"Hey, so did you!" Frankie bumped his shoulder against hers.

"Ah, true. Didn't everyone?" Jane smiled.

"Come on, I'm ready to beat you on the court again."

"In your dreams!"

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Thank you all for your kind words about this piece and the voice I give Jane and Maura. This is simply how I see them and, unfortunately, not how we get to see them on screen. Maybe someday? Yeah, well, don't crush my dreams. This chapter focuses on another mother/daughter relationship that is important to the show—that of Angela and Maura. -dkc_

**Chapter 5**

Jane walked into the BPD, her hair pulled into a ponytail, her shirt no longer tucked in. This was how the end of nearly every workday went for Jane. It didn't matter how many suspects she had to chase, how many piles of paperwork she had to complete, this was simply how she ended her day.

Unlike Jane, Maura was just as put together at the end of the day as she was the moment she walked out of her house to start the day. She sat at her desk, perusing shoes online as she tapped a pen a notepad. She was looking at shoes, but her mind was a million miles away.

"Dr. Isles?" Frankie peeked his head into the doctor's office, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Frankie, for heaven's sake, you know you can call me Maura," the young man grinned at her.

"Well, Maura, I'm just delivering this. Uh, Ma sent it down," Frankie offered a Styrofoam cup of green tea.

Angela knew that Maura liked to wind down her workday with a cup of green tea and usually Maura would wander up to the café as it was closing for the day and grab a cup. However, since the ordeal with the video, Maura hadn't been spending as much time in the café and very rarely saw Angela without Jane present. She wasn't cold to Angela, but their relationship hadn't quite recovered.

"Oh," Maura was truly surprised. "That was kind of Angela, and kind of you to deliver it. Thank you, Frankie."

"Of course," Frankie turned to leave, but stopped. "I hear we are having family dinner at your house on Sunday, huh?"

Maura had agreed to it only because Jane had asked with that look on her face that always got Maura to acquiesce. The doctor was secretly dreading it. It would be the first Rizzoli family dinner they had had since Maura was arrested and Angela handed the tape over to Cavanaugh that could have put her behind bars for good.

"Yes, that is correct. I believe six o'clock was the agreed upon time."

"Great. Umm, do you mind if I invite Frost?" Frankie was slightly sheepish about this for reasons Maura couldn't quite understand.

"Barry is always welcome," Maura responded with a smile.

"I'll see you then," Frankie smiled and walked out of the detective's office.

Maura sat back in her chair, looking at the ceiling as she contemplated just how she was going to make it through dinner with the remaining tension between she and Angela. She had forgiven Angela, she truly had, but there was a certain degree of trust lost in the matter and Maura was struggling to deal with that. Before Maura realized it, there were a few tears making their way down her cheeks. She tried to brush them aside. It was this unsuccessful attempt that Jane caught as she walked through the doorway her younger brother had exited just minutes before.

"Maur?" Jane saw the tears and immediate concern registered on her face.

Jane closed the door behind her and walked quickly to Maura's side, kneeling next to her to be more at her level.

"What is it?" Jane questioned as she placed a hand on Maura's thigh.

"I am being emotional, Jane. It's really nothing," Maura grabbed for a Kleenex, dabbed at the corner of her eyes and looked at her best friend.

"Tears are never nothing," Jane took the Kleenex from Maura and used it to wipe just under Maura's eye where there was a smudge of mascara.

"Angela had Frankie bring me green tea. I told you, I'm just being emotional," Jane smiled at her friend, not in a mocking way.

"Maur…" Jane held both of Maura's hands in hers. "It will get better. I promise you."

"Oh, I know. And I have forgiven your mother, Jane. It isn't that. I'm struggling with how much I can trust her and I know I'm wrong for that."

"There is nothing wrong with that. But let me tell you something. Ma may be a gossip, she may sometimes do things that can't be explained, she may pester and hover, but what she does best is love the hell out of her children. She considers you one of her kids. She loves you, Maur."

The last words out of Jane's mouth made the tears resume, this time happy tears. Jane couldn't help herself as she leaned up to wrap her arms around her friend. She kissed her cheek and then released her so she could grab Maura another Kleenex.

"Are you sure about doing dinner at your house Sunday? We really don't have to. We can put it off for another week or two if you want."

"No, it's okay. We've put it off long enough. Besides, I already told Frankie that he could invite Barry," Maura sniffled and then threw away her tissues.

"Those two are inseparable," Jane chuckled.

"Reminds me of us," Maura smiled.

"Hmm…well, I don't think they've kissed," Jane smirked. "I could be wrong, but I doubt it."

Maura reached for her tea, taking a drink and then offering it to Jane who turned up her nose to which Maura laughed.

"Do you think we should invite Korsak since Frost is coming?" Jane stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of her already wrinkled beyond fixing trousers.

"If your mother hasn't already," Maura teased knowing Jane found the idea of her mother and Korsak revolting. "I don't see how Korsak is any worse than your boss, Jane."

"He isn't! He is! Well!" Jane was tongue-tied. "He was my partner!"

"Barry is your partner and you don't have any problem with him coming to dinner," Maura offered.

"That's different and you know it!" Jane put a hand on her hip and tilted her head to look at the seated doctor.

"Right," Maura smirked and turned back to her laptop. "Why did you come down here?"

Jane brushed aside a few strands of hair that had made their way out of her ponytail and looked at Maura like she was asking her the most difficult question in the universe.

"You know what? I really can't remember," Jane's face lit up with a huge smile and Maura could respond with nothing less.

"I have been looking at shoes for the past hour. Thirty more minutes and I can actually get out of here," Maura said.

"Robber tonight?" Jane asked.

"Friday night, isn't that what we always do?" Maura answered

"Yep, it is," Jane smiled again and started walking to the door.

"Hey, Jane," Maura got the detective to stop just as she reached for the door handle. "Thank you."

There was a look of sincerity and genuine appreciation on Maura's face that Jane loved. Not only could her best friend not lie, her honesty was of a different sort than anyone else Jane had ever met.

"Of course," Jane winked at Maura and then opened the door, walking away.

Maura returned to looking at shoes on her laptop with a smile on her face and warm tea by her side.

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: This isn't the dinner, but it's an idea that came to me over lunch and I thought it needed to be included as a stand-alone chapter. It's short. -dkc_

**Chapter 6**

"Maura!" Jane huffed as she reached the door of the master bedroom and knocked.

"Jane!" came the exasperated reply.

Jane walked through the door and didn't see the doctor right away. Approaching the closet, she found Maura in a state of semi-undress. The doctor stood there in a blue pencil skirt, four-inch heels and her bra with a minimum of four dresses discarded on the floor.

"What's going on?" Jane tried valiantly to avoid glancing at the tops of Maura's breasts, but the brunette failed.

"I can't decide on anything to wear," Maura was bordering on tears of absolute frustration.

"Hey…" Jane touched Maura's bare shoulder. "It's just dinner."

"I know…" Maura placed a hand over Jane's.

"You could wear yoga pants and nobody would care," Jane assured her.

"They would notice, certainly," Maura smiled.

"I hate to break it to you, but somebody will notice no matter what you wear," Jane reached for the dressed that had been discarded and tried to not watch as Maura wiggled out of her skirt. Jane returned the dresses to hangers, placing them over the ottoman in the corner of the closet knowing she could never figure out where they belonged in the immaculately arranged space. She turned around and there stood Maura in nothing but panties and bra, her finger to her lips, worrying. Jane swallowed hard.

"What are you most comfortable in?" Jane tried desperately to focus.

" A skirt," Maura wasn't oblivious to Jane's reaction.

"Wear that red silk shirt, the one with buttons in the front with the… uhh…" Jane stalled.

"It's called a plunge neckline, Jane," the doctor smirked.

"Yeah," Jane blushed. "That one."

Maura easily located the blouse, picked a skirt and set out to find the perfect heels to go with the outfit. Jane was walking away when Maura's voice stopped her.

"Jane? Zip me?" the shirtless woman asked, pointing to the back of her skirt.

Jane slowly approached Maura, taking in steady breaths to calm her thumping heart. She used both hands to delicately raise the zipper. Once the zipper reached the top of the skirt and Jane latched the small clasp on the skirt, she didn't drop her hands, instead placing them on Maura's hips. Their bodies were an inch apart as Jane placed herself behind Maura, her breath on the shorter woman's neck.

"Jane?" Maura could feel the electricity between them without even looking at the intense look on Jane's face.

"I…" Jane was speechless.

Instead of attempting to speak, Jane pressed a soft kiss to Maura's bare shoulder. She then trailed kisses along that shoulder and up the side of Maura's neck to the place just below her earlobe. Jane's fingers dug into Maura's hips at the sound of the doctor's gasp. Maura leaned back into Jane, titled her head to give the tall woman further access to her neck and placed her hands over Jane's. The detective's mouth trailed back down the doctor's neck and across her shoulder before resting her chin where her lips had just been.

"You always look gorgeous," Jane whispered.

"When you said I could wear anything and somebody would notice, you meant _you_ would notice, didn't you?" Maura smiled.

"Well…" Jane pressed another kiss to Maura's shoulder. "Can you blame me?"

Before Maura had the chance to respond, they heard the doorbell downstairs.

"Ma's in the kitchen," Jane said. "But we should get down there."

"I'll be down in five minutes," Maura released Jane's hands.

"Make it three," Jane said as she stepped back.

"Is it that urgent?" Maura looked at the smile on Jane's face.

"Of course not, but that means I'll see you sooner."

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Thank you all for making me feel better about this piece. It's the first one I've written that I haven't been 100% confident with from the get-go. Your reviews (and encouragement) have been greatly appreciated. -dkc_

**Chapter 7**

Jane was carrying a bowl of dinner rolls to the table when she saw red out the corner of her eye. She turned to see Maura entering the room, stunning in the shirt Jane suggested. Jane couldn't prevent the smile from breaking out on her face. Maura blushed when she made eye contact with Jane.

"You look nice, Dr…uh…Maura," Frankie said as Maura approached the kitchen island.

"Thank you, Frankie," Maura smiled.

Jane returned to the island, standing shoulder to shoulder with Maura as Frankie, Frost and Korsak got settled at the table. Jane was disappointed she wouldn't be seeing her nephew, but knew Tommy was working and it was Lydia's night with T.J.

"Here they are!" Angela's booming voice carried her into the room as she carried a stack of cloth napkins. "I'd forgotten I'd put them in to wash."

Angela handed the napkins to Frankie who was not folding them to meet Angela's specifications. Angela took them back from his hands and folded them herself, earning the matriarch an eye roll from Frankie.

"Earlier? Too much?" Jane whispered the question as she leaned her shoulder against Maura's.

"Not at all," Maura quickly responded. "Perhaps too little."

The smirk on Maura's face made Jane blush now. Maura leaned against Jane as well and they simply stood there smiling as Angela finished folding napkins.

"Janie! Get the ham out will you?" Angela demanded.

"Ma! Where's the 'please'?" she groaned, but obeyed.

Maura joined Frost, Frankie and Korsak at the table, sitting in one of the two seats that allowed her to have her back to the wall. She knew Jane preferred these seats so she didn't have to be asked by her mother to keep getting up to fetch things. Frankie sat at one end of the table, Korsak at the opposite end and Frost directly across from Maura.

"You do look very nice, Maura," Frost smiled at the doctor.

"Thank you, Barry," Maura busied herself with pouring wine for everyone at the table.

Jane and Angela delivered the remaining dishes of food to the table and took their seats, Jane next to Maura and Angela next to Frost, closest to Korsak. Everyone began dishing up their plates, Angela asked Frankie to say grace and he obediently did as he was told. Angela knew better than to ask Jane. In fact, Angela hadn't asked Jane to do anything religious since Jane's first encounter with Charles Hoyt. Whether Hoyt is when Jane lost her faith or not, it was hard to know.

"Maura, thank you for letting us all have dinner here. I am glad we can get things back to normal," Angela said, smiling at the doctor.

Angela's comment made Maura tense a bit, something Jane picked up on immediately. Jane reached under the table and grasped Maura's hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You know you are all welcome here anytime, Angela," Maura answered.

"Like you could get rid of Janie if you tried," Frankie teased his sister who glared at him.

Frankie's teasing broke the tension and Maura felt herself relaxing. Jane felt this, too, and released Maura's hand so they could both eat. Though they were no longer holding hands, both women took every opportunity to gently touch the other and steal looks that only the other could interpret.

The table feel into easy conversation as Frankie talked about his new assignment with the drug unit. Jane refused to take the bait regarding Detective Martinez and Maura could only smile. It truly felt like any regular Rizzoli family dinner and Maura was grateful she had Jane by her side to help her through the tension. Korsak smiled at Maura as he caught her gazing thoughtfully at Jane. Maura blushed, returning her focus to eating. Once they had all finished with their plates, Angela began clearing the dishes, waving off Korsak when he attempted to help her. Jane poured everyone more wine.

"Maura, honey, would you help me with the dessert plates?" Angela asked from across the room near the kitchen sink.

There was a slightly terrified look on Maura's face for a second as she actually considered turning Angela down. However, Maura was nothing if not polite. She stood, smiling half-heartedly at Jane and walking over to assist Angela. The two women dished up dessert, one handling the sweet treat, the other placing a fork on each plate.

"Maura, I hope you know how truly sorry I am and how much I wish I could take it back," Angela leaned toward Maura, speaking in an uncharacteristically hushed tone.

"It is behind us, Angela," Maura said, knowing it was partially true and therefore not something that would cause her hives.

"I wish that were true, but I know you are still hurt. Please know that I was simply trying to protect Jane. I was trying to keep her from having to make a career-ending decision," Angela said.

Maura caught Jane's eye from across the room. The brunette had nothing but worry on her face. Maura's eyes spoke to Jane when words couldn't. Jane read the pain in Maura's eyes, but also knew that Maura accepted whatever was being said as a necessary part of the mending process between she and Angela.

"I know that Jane is your daughter, Angela, but I only wish you'd thought to protect us both," Maura was somewhat ashamed of her honesty.

"You are right, Maura. I should have tried to protect you both. I wish I could take it back. That isn't how life works, though, is it?"

"No, I suppose it's not."

"I hope you know that I love you like a daughter, as much as I love Jane even, and I regret that moment in my life more than nearly any other in my adult life," the weight of Angela's statement hit Maura particularly hard.

"Thank you, Angela."

The doctor couldn't say anything more, both because of the emotions threatening to spill out of her and because Jane had come to her rescue in the kitchen. They three women delivered the dessert plates and rejoined the men's ongoing conversation.

"You okay?" Jane leaned over and whispered to Maura.

Maura nodded slightly, but didn't make eye contact with Jane for fear that the tears she was holding in would spill without reservation. Instead she simply pressed her thigh against Jane's and slowly finished her dessert.

Once everyone had finished their dinner and conversation petered out, Korsak and Frost excused themselves, thanking Angela and Maura for the dinner invitation. Frankie helped Angela put away the leftover food and then kissed his mother on the cheek before waving goodbye to everyone. Jane and Maura hadn't moved from their spot at the table and by now Maura had reached for Jane's hand. Simply holding Jane's hand was giving her the emotional support she needed.

"Would you like me start on the dishes, Maura? I've placed all the plates and silverware in the dishwasher," Angela asked.

"No, Ma, we'll get it," Jane answered for Maura.

"If you're sure, I'm going to call it a night then," Angela said as she headed to the door that would lead her right out onto the patio and to the guesthouse.

"Goodnight, Ma," Jane smiled at her mother.

"Goodnight girls. Thank you again, Maura," Angela's smile was superficial, weighed down by how sorry she was for hurting Maura.

"Goodnight, Angela," Maura said, using every bit of her energy to hold in the tears she felt building.

As Angela left the house, closing the door behind her, Jane found herself letting out a breath she'd been holding for the sake of her best friend.

"That wasn't so bad," Jane said, attempting to be sarcastic, but knowing there was unnecessary tension throughout dinner.

When Maura didn't answer, Jane looked at her friend and saw the tears now spilling down her soft cheeks. She quickly wrapped an arm around Maura's shoulders and pulled the doctor into her.

"It's okay, sweetie," Jane cooed.

Maura allowed the tears to spill out until she was frankly too tired to cry anymore.

"Let's do the dishes in the morning?" Maura both stated and asked.

"Of course," Jane responded, continuing to hold Maura tight to her.

After allowing Maura to simply hold on to her for a while, steadying her emotions, Jane stood and offered a hand to Maura to lead her up to bed. Tonight they wouldn't talk. They would simply crawl into bed, Jane holding Maura close, as they both drifted off to sleep. They had survived family dinner and Maura was finally on the road to mending a relationship that had taken a hard hit. There weren't many certainties for Maura, but she knew one—Jane. Jane would be by her side as she continued to navigate this development in her relationship with Angela, just as Jane had been by her side for every twist and turn over the last several years.

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: I like to use 700-900 word interludes, if you haven't noticed. It sets things up for longer, and in this case, steamier chapters. More soon. -dkc_

**Chapter 8**

Jane made her way from the elevator bay into the morgue and toward Maura's office. She was surprised to run into her boss, Lt. Cavanaugh, who was exiting the medical examiner's office.

"Detective Rizzoli," Cavanaugh said to her, nodding hello.

"Lieutenant," Jane responded in a questioning tone.

They passed one another without any further conversation. Jane turned to watch him walk out of the morgue and was completely confused. Cavanaugh didn't visit the morgue all that often and if he needed the M.E., he simply summoned her to his office.

"What was that about?" Jane asked as she entered Maura's office.

Maura was sitting in the horribly uncomfortable yet fashionable chair that Jane despised, staring off into space.

"Maura?" Jane tried again. "Why was Cavanaugh down here?"

"He came to thank me," was the simple response Jane received.

"Did he suddenly decide that you stabbing him with a tranquilizer was a good idea?" Jane walked around to sit on the couch across from Maura.

"Of course not, Jane," Maura finally looked at her friend and revealed the uncertainty in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Jane reached a hand out to place on Maura's knee.

"He wanted to thank me for getting Hope to testify and for saving him from himself that day with Paddy," Maura's eyes were clouded with a confusion Jane was not used to seeing there.

"You know that you didn't force Hope to do anything, right?" Jane's words touched on exactly what had Maura unsettled.

Seeing the look in Maura's eyes, unfocused and torn, Jane stood, walked toward the door, closed it and locked it. There was one set of blinds open that Jane quickly closed before walking back to Maura. Instead of returning to her place on the couch, Jane kneeled in front of Maura, directly in her line of sight.

"Hope is a big girl, she made her own decision. In fact, she got herself into the mess with Paddy and she did what any moral-minded individual should when called out for her mistake," Jane said, gripping both of Maura's hands as they rested in her lap.

"Was it my place to 'call her out' for that mistake?" Maura's eyes dropped to their hands. "Hell, Jane, I was the result of that mistake."

"Look at me," Jane released Maura's hand so she could tilt the doctor's chin up to look at her. "You are innocent in this. Do you understand me? None of this is your fault."

"Why are you so good at this?" Maura questioned.

"Mobsters? I've seen _The Godfather_," Jane's sarcasm was actually caught by Maura who smiled for the first time since Jane entered the office.

"You're good at relationship dynamics. You're good at understanding what makes people…" Maura paused.

"Tick?" Jane asked.

"Yes, and you understand families," a single tear escaped and Jane used her thumb to catch it on Maura's cheek.

"I'm not good at it, Maura. I've just had more experience, maybe? And I certainly don't understand relationship dynamics as my being single in my late thirties is evidence of."

"You seem to have a firm hold on the dynamics of our relationship?" Maura raised an eyebrow and reached a hand up to place over the detective's on her cheek.

"Are you kidding me? You terrify me!" Jane chuckled, humor hiding the brutal truth.

"Me? How am I terrifying?" Maura was surprised by Jane's admission.

"You're you, Maur," Jane's face was suddenly serious. "Perfect in every way, brilliant, gorgeous and successful. You're just…you."

Another tear escaped as Maura was overcome by the kindness of her best friend. This was the Jane hardly anyone else got to see—the sweet, tender side reserved for Maura. Maura leaned forward, angling her head just enough that her lips could reach Jane's. She pressed her lips to the detective's without hesitation; her hand leaving Jane's to tangle in her hair. What was tender and compassionate at first became fierce and passionate within seconds. Though their positions made for awkward mechanics, Jane used one arm to reach behind Maura, pulling the doctor closer. Their tongues contended, their hearts raced.

"Jane?" Maura panted as their lips broke contact for the first time.

"If you tell me you have an autopsy to do, it will really kill the mood," Jane deadpanned as she pulled Maura in again.

This time Maura, in slacks, spread her legs to allow for closer access to Jane. Jane's hand slipped down Maura's back where she was getting the leverage to pull Maura in, to the slope just above Maura's ass. Now both of Maura's hands tangled in Jane's hair.

"Jane…" Maura moaned as the apex of her thighs came in contact with Jane's abs.

The moan got Jane's attention as she pulled back and looked directly in the doctor's eyes. She saw a want there that she'd never seen before and she found herself wanting to sink deep into that want.

"Let's get out of here, Maur," Jane said as she kissed the tip of Maura's nose, stood up and held out a hand to help the doctor up.

"It's just after lunch, Jane," Maura was attempting to be responsible and serious, but her devious smile gave her away.

"When's the last time you left just after lunch?" Jane went to Maura's desk drawer to grab the purse she knew would be stashed there.

"I can't say I ever have," Maura reached for her jacket on the back of her desk chair.

"There's a first time for everything."

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: I suspect there are certain things you want from this scene. I, too, want certain things. I hope I do both wants justice. –dkc_

**Chapter 9**

Jane asked Frost if he minded if she took the rest of the day off. After recovering from his initial shock of her actually asking for personal time, Frost told her it wouldn't be a problem. Jane left the station, driving to Maura's house. They had decided at the precinct that taking separate cars was both logistically sound, something Maura pointed out, and would likely not announce to the entire BPD that they had left together. That is assuming that a building full of police officers and detectives couldn't connect the dots and realize that the two friends had taken an uncommon personal day at the very same time.

"Maur?" Jane's nervousness made the detective sound tentative as she opened the doctor's side door and entered her house.

"Upstairs!" came the response, causing Jane to smirk at the possibility of what Maura could be doing up there.

Jane locked the door behind her, kicked off her boots and made her way upstairs to the doctor's bedroom.

"Maur?" Jane asked as she walked into the bedroom and didn't see her.

"I'm in here," Maura poked her head out of the closet, her shoulders bare.

"What are you doing?" Jane's voice was deeper than normal.

Maura stepped out into the doorway of the expansive closet in nothing but her bra, panties and heels. The sight made Jane stop dead in her tracks, her palms immediately sweating and her core fluttering with want.

"I was changing my clothes," the scantily clad woman smiled at the look on the detective's face.

For a moment Jane felt like all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. She was drawn to Maura and yet gaped at every inch of her soft, milky skin without taking a step toward her.

"Jane…" Maura's tone was one Jane was not familiar with. It was sultry, dripping with sexual desire.

As the two women made eye contact, there was a reminder of Jane's mouth on Maura's shoulder before family dinner. There was a reminder of the feeling of the apex of Maura's thighs meeting Jane's toned abs in the doctor's office earlier.

"Should I not get dressed?" Maura was coy as she put her hands on her hips.

Jane couldn't speak. All she could do was look at the beautiful woman before her. She slowly stepped forward, her hands gently resting on Maura's shoulders as she stepped into the other woman's intimate space.

"Jane…" the near plea was the only push Jane needed, her lips ferociously attacking Maura's.

The aggressive kiss was true to the reputation Jane had among her colleagues—ferocious and powerful. However, as her hands slid down Maura's shoulders, replacing the doctor's hands on the curvy hips, out came the sweet-tempered facet of Jane that was known only to Maura.

Maura's arms went around Jane's shoulders, quickly tightening around the back of Jane's neck. In her heels, her mouth was merely an inch below Jane's. The added height of Maura's heels was an advantage for Jane, too; her arms could just reach Maura's panty-covered cheeks. As her hands clinched Maura's ass, the doctor couldn't help but thrust her pelvis into Jane.

"Fuck…" Jane moaned.

Maura responded by pushing Jane backward into the bedroom until her back came in contact with the wall next to the bureau. It was forceful and sexy, a combination that Jane didn't find at all surprising from the woman before her. Breaking the kiss for deep breath, Jane focused her attention on Maura's neck, tracing the slight scar on the doctor's neck with her tongue. The doctor was occupied with the button and zipper of the detective's pants. Her focus was rattled by the sensation of Jane's mouth on her clavicle and the single finger tracing the lace edge of her panties.

"Jane…" came a cross between a moan and a growl.

Always one to obey the bossy doctor, Jane quickly pulled her own shirt over her head. There was nothing smooth about the process of Jane undressing. In fact, there was nothing smooth about the mechanics of the attack of lips, the press of hips, the groping hands. Desperation carried the day. They had been waiting too long to see each other like this, covered in a sheen of sweat, darkened eyes and panting in want. Jane didn't give Maura's breasts the attention they deserved and Maura wasn't able to appreciate Jane's legs in their standing position. But they loved every second of their first time. They climaxed together, never leaving the position they'd found when Maura pressed Jane's back against the wall.

After coming down from a high neither had ever experienced, Maura leaned into Jane and hoped the brunette, as well as the wall behind her, could hold them up.

"My legs," Jane groaned, the sound being met with a chuckle from Maura.

Maura led Jane to the bed where they crawled under the blanket; their bodies pressed together, their mouths but an inch apart.

"You are so sexy," Jane whispered as she brought their entwined hands to her mouth and kissed each of Maura's fingers.

"Mmm…" Maura hadn't yet regained all of her faculties.

"Have you done that before?" Jane wrapped rested her hand on Maura's hip.

"Standing?" Maura grinned, earning a slight pinch to her hip causing her to squirm.

"You know what I mean," Jane pulled her in tight after teasing.

"Not exactly," Maura's answer was slightly surprising to Jane.

"I would have expected otherwise," Jane hummed.

"Have you?" Maura questioned.

"Standing?" Jane mimicked Maura's grin exactly.

Instead of a pinch, Maura pressed her lips to Jane's and kissed her softly. As the kiss ended, there was a smile on both their faces.

"When I was at the academy and a few times since," Jane offered as a way of answering Maura's question honestly.

"Since?" Maura raised an eyebrow wondering when.

"Not since I met you," Jane's face was serious and self-conscious.

"Jane…" the tone of Maura's voice could speak to Jane in ways no words ever could. There was simple recognition in the way she spoke Jane's name.

Jane had no idea what to say and as she contemplated all of the explanations she could offer, a single tear fell from the corner of her eye.

"Not very badass of me, huh?" Jane joked as she wiped the tear away. Maura pulled Jane's forehead to her lips and kissed it softly.

"You're a badass when you need to be," came calm, reassuring words.

The two friends lay there talking, asking questions neither had ever asked nor thought of asking before now. For two women who spent as much time together as they did, there were things that even they kept to themselves. Fears, wants, and secrets—even they had them. And for the first time in perhaps the entire time they'd known each other, they didn't need to hold anything back for the sake of their friendship.

_To be continued…_


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: By way of explanation, though I certainly don't have to explain myself, CharlieTheCAG pointed something out in the comments about Jane and Maura's experiences and here's my thinking: I don't see Jane admitting this to anyone but Maura—something she viewed as a dark part of her and couldn't share with anyone without confirming all of the stereotypes she has battled. As for Maura, I see her more likely to experiment in some ways, but to never have met a woman that she fully connected with. Make sense? Maybe only in my mind… -dkc_

**Chapter 10**

The subtle clicking of heels entering the bullpen of the homicide unit made Jane's ears perk up. It was a sound that everyone associated with the medical examiner. A visiting district attorney might turn up in heels from time to time, but it was the M.E. who was always accompanied by that sound.

"Jane, do you have a minute?" the doctor said as she reached the detective's desk.

Jane had turned and was openly gawking at the dress Maura was wearing. She had never seen a woman wear a dress quite the way Maura did. This showed off all of Maura's perfect curves. However, the smile Jane had on her face as Maura approached was quickly dampened by the look on the honey-haired woman's face. There were carefully covered tracks of tears, but tracks Jane could spot on the woman she was so in tune with.

"Yeah…um…" Jane was looking around to see where they could go to speak in private. "Let's use the break room."

As they walked into the break room, Jane closed the door and locked it behind her so that nobody would interrupt them. She saw through the small opening in the door that Detective Frost had moved his chair over to another station closer to the door, a way of keeping watch so nobody would attempt to get in.

"What's up? Are you okay?" Jane was worried.

"You called her?" Maura's voice was one of relief, not anger.

"Maur…" Jane started. "I had no idea you hadn't told her about the kidney donation."

"I'm not angry, Jane," the detective was surprised when the doctor took her hand.

"You're not?" Jane was stunned.

"I'm not. I actually came to thank you."

"You did?" Jane was baffled by this turn of events.

"I did," Maura gave Jane the soft smile that she used in moments like this to show her gratitude. "I never would have called her."

"Maur, I had no idea what else to do. I've been worried about you. I knew you needed to be able to talk this out with Constance, tell her about Hope and I wanted to try to facilitate that. I had no idea you hadn't told her about the kidney thing. I should have known when we didn't see or hear from her while you were in recovery, but I just assumed she was out of the country or something," at this point Jane was rambling.

"Jane. Stop," Maura smirked, wrapping both her arms around the nervous detective. "I appreciate it. I didn't know how to reach out to her. You know how I am about asking my parents for help and I didn't need anything I could quantify; I had everything I needed at the time."

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's waist and breathed a sigh of relief into her hair.

"My mother is coming into town and would like to take us to dinner," Maura pulled back to look at Jane.

"Us?" Jane raised an eyebrow and the corner of her mouth curled slightly.

"I didn't tell her about us, if that's what you're asking," Maura responded and Jane let out another sigh of relief.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for the demure Constance Isles to look at me and know I've been making love to her only daughter," Jane smirked.

"Wait 'til you meet my father," Maura grinned as she let go of Jane and turned toward the door.

"Hey!" Jane reached for Maura's hand. "You don't get to scare me like that and then turn and walk away."

As Jane pulled Maura back to her, the detective's lips briefly brushed the doctor's. Jane continued to be amazed at how many ways she could kiss Maura and how varied her emotions behind those kisses could be.

Maura chuckled as their kiss ended and rested her chin on Jane's shoulder. The two women stood there like that for over a minute before being interrupted by Jane's buzzing phone.

"Shit," Jane grumbled as she reached for her phone and saw that it was Frost. "What is it, Frost?"

From where Maura stood, she could hear both sides of the conversation. Both Frost asking Jane if she and Maura were through with the "lover's quarrel" yet and Jane denying they were having such a spat. Maura smiled at the fact that Jane didn't deny to Frost that they were lovers.

"I guess I better get back," Jane said as she ended the call.

"I should as well," Maura made for the door, stopping just as she unlocked it. "Jane… thank you."

"Of course, hon," Jane smiled and followed Maura out of the break room.

The clicking of heels was once again heard throughout the bullpen as the lovely medical examiner made her way out. As Maura passed Frost's desk, she couldn't stop herself from winking at the detective.

_To be continued?_


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Note: I have no idea why this chapter posted originally without an A/N and only a portion of the story. I think it is fixed now. Let me know if you have any problems. I'm thinking maybe 2 more chapters and then I'll move on to something else. Thank you all for your input and your continued readership. -dkc_

**Chapter 11**

Jane's closet now looked as if a tornado had hit. She had looked at every item of clothing in it as she attempted to pick something to wear for dinner with Maura and her mother. Jane was inexplicably nervous. She had finally settled on a shirt Maura bought her for her last birthday and a tailored pair of slacks. She was deciding between flats or heels when a knock came at the door.

"Janie!" Angela let herself in.

"Ma! Now is a terrible time!" Jane hollered out to the living room.

"That's a lovely way to greet your mother," Angela started putting away the items she brought for Jane.

When Jane exited her bedroom, Angela was actually stunned speechless. It was not a sight Jane had seen often.

"What? Do I look ridiculous?" Jane questioned.

"No, you look beautiful, Jane," Angela was actually tearing up.

"Don't you dare cry, they are just clothes," Jane ordered.

"Where are you off to?" Angela was subtly prying into her daughter's personal life.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jane was gruff with her mother because she knew her mother would put up with it.

"You can tell me you're going out with Maura, Jane. I'm not one of those mothers that are stuck in the fifties, you know," Angela surprised Jane.

"I…uhh…I am, but not like that," Jane stammered.

"It wouldn't bother me if you were."

"We're going to dinner with Constance. Maura hasn't told her about Hope or Cailin or the kidney thing," Jane was checking her hair in the mirror and slipping her feet into heels.

"Oh, god. Really? How did she not tell her?" Angela covered her mouth, as she couldn't fathom being in Constance's shoes.

"You know Maura, Ma, she doesn't exactly ask for help easily," Jane said.

"I know," Angela's tone changed and Jane could tell she was thinking about Maura's arrest.

"Ma…" Jane walked over to where her mother had sat down and rested a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Just give her time. She'll come around. I think she just needs to see everything getting back to normal and you and she will be close again."

"I was trying to protect you, Jane," Angela suddenly had tears in her eyes.

"I know you were and Maura knows you were. It's just going to take time," Jane rubbed her mother's shoulder, biting her lip as she tried to find the right things to say.

"Are you sleeping with her?" Angela asked abruptly.

"Maaaa!" Jane rolled her eyes.

"I want you to be happy."

"I am happy, Ma," Jane stood and walked to the closet to grab her jacket.

"I've noticed you spending the night more frequently and I can't remember the last time you mentioned having a date," Angela rattled on.

"Ma," Jane rolled her eyes again. "Does it matter?"

"If you're sleeping with the woman you've been in love with for years? I think it does," Angela crossed her arms over her chest.

"Has it really been that obvious?" Jane wondered aloud, knowing her mother wouldn't spare her the truth.

"That you've been in love with her or that you two are sleeping together?"

"God," Jane groaned. "This is not a conversation I want to have with my mother. Both, I guess?"

"She may be the only person that didn't know you were in love with her," Angela smiled. "As for the sleeping together, you've now confirmed it, so…"

"Ma!" Jane tossed a throw pillow at her mother.

"Frankie might have mentioned something and, like I said, you two have hardly been apart recently. More so than usual, anyway."

"It's new and we're not ready to talk about it yet," Jane's tone told her mother that she was serious and that this conversation would not leave her apartment…er…condo.

"I won't say a word until you tell me I can. I love Maura, too, you know. I want this to work out. Don't screw it up, Janie."

"Me?! Why would I screw it up?" Jane whined.

"Maura can't lie. That makes it more likely that you will screw it up. Granted, Maura doesn't exactly understand the expectations of relationships, either, does she?" Angela's words were met by a long sigh from Jane.

"We've got to master one relationship at a time. Hope and Paddy have devastated her. Tonight she has to explain that to Constance. I don't know how she does it, Ma. She's pretty amazing and god is she strong. I could never deal with as much as she has had to deal with in the last year," Jane's face was radiating the love she has for Maura and it wasn't lost on Angela.

"You better not be late then," Angela stood and held out her arms to hug her eldest child.

For the first time in longer than either of them could remember, Jane wasn't reluctant to hug her mother. She allowed Angela to hug her and kiss her cheek before she slipped her jacket over her shoulders and headed for the door.

"I'll take Jo with me," Angela offered as she watched Jane walk out the door.

"Thanks, Ma!" Jane hollered.

Angela was left standing in Jane's living room, a smile on her face and her heart bursting. She wanted most for her children to be happy and since Maura Isles had walked into their lives, she knew that Jane's chance of happiness lie in that woman's hands.

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: I owe a big thanks to CharlieTheCAG for pointing out the problems with the last chapter as it loaded on the site. I have no idea what that was about. Also, KWQuiche gave me the push to do this chapter. It scared me! Huge thanks to her. -dkc_

**Chapter 12**

Jane strode through the restaurant, catching the eye of Maura as she made her way to the table. Both Maura and Constance Isles stood to greet the detective. Jane reached for Constance's hand, gripping it in both of hers as they exchanged European-style kisses to each other's cheeks. When Jane turned toward Maura, their eyes locked and neither knew exactly how to greet one another. Maura simply reached for Jane's shoulder and they hugged briefly.

"Jane, it is a pleasure to see you again," Constance smiled.

"It's good to see you, too," Jane awkwardly shrugged out of her jacket.

"Maura was just telling me that your mother is doing well," Constance's comment caught Jane a bit off guard given the current turmoil between Maura and her mother.

"Yes, she is," Jane avoided looking at Maura as she answered.

"Do tell her I said hello," Constance's smile made Jane slightly nervous.

"I will," Jane looked around the table casually to see if there was a menu.

"I ordered for you," Maura leaned over, whispering to Jane.

There was a grateful look on Jane's face as she smiled at her best friend, now lover. Maura knew that places like this made Jane uncomfortable, especially when ordering.

"I am glad you called me, Jane," Constance reached for the bottle of wine, offering it to Jane who took it and poured herself a glass.

"I…" Jane didn't quite know how to respond.

"I am glad she called you, too," Maura saved Jane the trouble of finding a suitable reply.

"Tell me about your health," Constance looked to Maura.

As Maura swallowed an uncharacteristically inelegant amount of wine, Jane reached for her hand under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze. Jane's hand on hers gave her the courage she needed to begin the difficult conversation with her mother.

"I am doing well. My nephrologist says that I have healed properly and he is satisfied with my kidney function. I will, of course, have regular visits with him over the next year and occasionally as I get older," Maura spoke with the authority of her medical degree behind her.

"And," Constance paused. "The girl? I am sorry, I can't recall her name."

"Cailin," Jane helped.

"She is doing remarkably well. She and I see the same nephrologist," Maura said.

Jane knew that not only did Cailin and Maura see the same nephrologist, Maura was accepting the financial burden of this for Cailin. It didn't surprise Jane that Maura didn't share this with her mother. Maura was quite humble when it came to helping others.

"I understand that Patrick is awaiting sentencing?" Jane smiled at the bluntness with which Constance introduced the topic. She now knew where Maura got that bluntness.

"He is," Maura paused. "Yes."

There was sadness on Maura's face, as she couldn't finish her thought. Jane could see the struggle in Maura's eyes and thought it best to explain Doyle's situation herself.

"The district attorney anticipates a sentence that will keep Doyle in prison for the rest of his life. There is enough evidence against him, as the judge determined when the verdict came down, to support such a sentence," Jane explained.

"Maura, darling, this must be dreadful for you," Constance looked at Maura with great concern on her face as Jane placed her other hand on Maura's thigh under the table.

"He is who he is, mother. Justice must be served," Maura answered with composure.

"And this woman, Dr. Martin?" Constance asked.

"Hope," Jane and Maura said in concert.

"Tell me about her," those four words from her mother made Maura choke up.

Constance reached a hand across the table to place on Maura's, a physical gesture so foreign to their relationship and so touching that it made Maura's walls crumble. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she attempted stoicism, but failed. The doctor could not form words as she fought off her emotions.

"She looks like Maura," Jane began. "What I imagine Maura will look like in twenty years, anyway. She's a doctor who founded an organization that gives the impoverished around the world access to healthcare. She's brave, I think. She's spent time in war zones, caring for the wounded. She's brilliant. In fact the first time we met her, she was showing Maura how to pull a fingerprint from a body we otherwise wouldn't have been able to."

Jane noticed the grimace on Constance Isles' face and remembered that the mother was nothing like the daughter when it came to the things they'd witnessed on the job. She steered her comments away from the topic, all the while holding Maura's hand under the table and feeling Maura rub her thumb across the puckered skin Jane wore as a reminder of the darkest time in her life.

"She has a daughter. Well, two," Jane smiled. "Cailin is eighteen. She even looks a bit like Maura. And Hope asked Maura if she would save Cailin and Maura didn't hesitate. She is…" Jane trailed off.

"A very amazing woman," Constance finished.

"That she is," Jane felt herself overcome with emotion.

The waiter arrived at their table with their dinner and Jane was relieved to see that the meal Maura had ordered her was something she recognized—nothing exotic.

"This looks fantastic," Maura finally spoke, her voice raw from the disappearing tears.

"Thank you for ordering something I know, Maur," Jane chuckled and began eating.

The conversation between the three women flowed freely as they ate. They didn't discuss Hope or Paddy again, a welcome change for Maura who was emotionally exhausted. Jane found herself glancing at Maura and losing herself in the selfless, beautiful human being she was blessed to know and love. Jane's glances, though furtive, were noticed by Constance more than once. Constance found herself watching the interactions between Jane and Maura throughout the night. The woman seated across from her, who had once been so assertive with Constance, was tender with Maura. There was something different about Jane; Constance knew it had everything to do with Maura.

"I suppose I ought to return to my hotel," Constance said as she gathered her purse. "Next time I am in town, we must get together with Angela again. Just the four of us."

Jane snuck a look at Maura as Constance suggested another mother/daughter evening and Maura looked at ease. Jane was in awe of her best friend's resilience.

"I would like that," Maura took Jane's outstretched hand as she stood from the table.

"Let's not go so long without talking next time," Constance reached for Maura and hugged her. It was the first time Jane could remember them hugging for a length that suggested they were more than just casual acquaintances. Jane saw a tear fall from Maura's eye and knew that Maura was having a similar thought.

"Jane," Constance said as she reached for the brunette, kissing each of her cheeks as well.

The three women made their way to the door as Jane struggled to pull on her jacket. Maura finally reached out and adjusted the sleeve for Jane. As they exited the restaurant, Jane looked toward her car and wondered where Maura's was.

"Jane? Would you see me to my car?" Constance asked.

Jane eyes caught Maura's, the detective having a momentary inner freak out about the request, but Maura's eyes urged her on, telling her it would be okay.

"Of course," Jane said as she offered her arm to Constance just as she would Maura.

"Thank you for calling me, Jane," Constance said quietly as they made their way to her town car.

"I was worried about Maura and I didn't know what to do," Jane was no longer abashed at having made the call.

"I never know how to help her," Constance seemed sad. "She's a grown woman and I am just as inept at caring for her as I was when she was an adolescent."

"She knows you love her. That is enough," Jane reassured her.

"She won't call, but if there should ever be a time when I can support her, I hope you will," Constance smiled at the detective and squeezed her arm before reaching for the car door.

"Let me," Jane reached the door first and opened it for Constance. "I will call."

The two women smiled at one another briefly and Constance climbed into the car.

"Oh, Jane?" she said before Jane could close the door for her. "Does she know _you_ love her?"

Though sly, the weight of the question was upon Jane quickly. She simply looked at Constance who nodded and closed the door herself. Jane watched Constance drive away, her feet heavy as if she were cemented in place.

"Jane?" Maura's voice forced Jane out of her head. "Is everything okay?" There was worry on Maura's face as she reached for Jane's hand, interlacing their fingers.

"Yeah, everything is good," Jane looked at Maura as if she were seeing her beauty for the very first time.

"Let's go home," Maura spoke softly as she rested her head on Jane's shoulder.

"Home," Jane murmured as she led them to her car.

_To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Though I have received suggestions to keep this piece going to another night out with Constance, Angela and the girls, I'm going to leave this story here with this beautiful last chapter and move on to other things. I also wanted to keep this at a T rating. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. You are too kind. P.S. For the record, I am Team Korsak. -dkc_

**Chapter 13**

Jane said nothing the entire drive to Maura's house. When asked if she was okay, she smiled and assured Maura that she was. The doctor knew better.

"What did my mother say to you, Jane?" Maura's voice was firm.

They had entered Maura's house and Jane stood with her back to Maura. The doctor could not stand the silence, her worry playing with her mind. Her mother could be harsh, cold, even. She worried that Jane was putting up walls or preparing to run.

"Tell me, Jane," Maura whispered as she came up behind the detective, wrapping her arms around her.

When Jane turned around to face the honey-haired woman, there were tears streaming down her face.

"Jane…" Maura reached for the brunette's cheeks. "What is it, honey?"

The detective didn't bother to wipe her tears. She simply stared at her best friend, taking in her beauty, her kind eyes and everything that she knew and loved about her.

"I love you, Maur. I love you and I have never told you. Not as a friend, not as…as a lover. I have never said it. And I love you."

The detective allowed her tears to continue to fall as she watched the recognition set in on Maura's face. There was a gentle smile on Maura's face as she looked at her detective, her Jane.

"Jane…" Maura whispered. "Did you think I didn't know? You show me every day."

As the tears stilled, Jane found herself replaying moments in her head, moments in which she may not have been successful in hiding her feelings for Maura throughout their friendship—moments she knew in her heart she had realized how deep her feelings were for her best friend.

"Do you remember what you said when Doyle took me from the morgue and I called you?" Maura held Jane in place by her bony hips.

"Whatever he wanted," Jane mumbled.

"You would have done anything for me in that moment, Jane. That wasn't the first time I knew you would do anything for me and it certainly wasn't the last. You would have broken the law to protect me. You said you would have given me a kidney, even after claiming, albeit jokingly, you wouldn't give one to Tommy or Frankie. You would die for me, Jane. You almost have," Maura choked back tears as she realized just how close she had come to losing Jane far too many times.

"Maur…" Jane brought a hand up to cup the doctor's cheek.

"Let me finish, Jane." Maura insisted. "One of the few things I have allowed myself to remember about that day in the infirmary with Charles Hoyt is the primal reaction you had when he touched me. You killed him as much for me, maybe even more for me, than for you. I know you love me, Jane. Perhaps I have always known."

Jane's lips found their way to Maura's. The kiss was confirmation of everything Maura had reminded Jane of. The kiss was sensual. Scarred hands cupped soft, alabaster cheeks. Skilled, meticulous hands dug into the subtle dip of hips.

The kiss grew sloppy, forcing the women to surface for air. Without speaking, Jane led Maura to the bedroom.

The taller brunette slowly unbuttoned her shirt as she felt the doctor's eyes burning into her newly revealed skin. It was a concerted dance, the undressing. Hands wandered as eyes seized sight of familiar and now favorite areas of one another's bodies. The kiss that had grown out of control before was now back on and unrivaled by any kiss they had shared before. It was the bridge to a beautiful night of lovemaking, lovemaking that was not devoid of a few tears.

"I love you," Jane choked, her limbs tangled in those of Maura after coming down from a beautiful high.

"I know," Maura kissed the emotional woman's forehead. "I love you, too."

They held each other, simply, for what seemed like hours. They were content with each other in ways they had never been content with another. This had always been the case, but they never felt quite like they did as they basked in the afterglow with one another.

"Maur…" Jane's voice was raw.

"Hmm?" Maura turned her body, no longer slick with the aftermath of their love, further into Jane.

"Can you, umm, have a baby with only one kidney?" Jane was hesitant asking such a personal question, despite lying naked with the woman in her arms.

"Yes, it isn't recommended for at least six months after the surgery, though," Maura maneuvered to face Jane. "Why?"

"We never talked about it and I know you at one time were considering freezing your, uh, eggs. I wondered."

"I didn't realize we needed to talk about it," Maura smirked.

"You know what I mean," Jane nudged her.

"I do. I thought about it a great deal before going through with the surgery, both in the sense of the potential elimination of the possibility and, well, whether I want to be a mother at all. Of course, it mattered to me that I would essentially be saving a life, even if I couldn't bring a new life into the world," Maura said thoughtfully.

"You'd be a wonderful mom," Jane whispered sincerely.

"You think?" Maura's doubt came through.

"You are one of the most caring, considerate people I know. I have seen you with T.J. and, yes, I believe you would be a wonderful mother."

"I don't know, Jane. I don't know anything about how to be a mother," Maura answered with tears in her eyes.

"You've learned what not to do. You've watched three mothers approach motherhood in very different ways."

"Three?" Maura was confused.

"My mom, too," Jane smiled.

"Being a mother isn't academic, Jane. I can't simply look at examples and know what to do and not to do."

"No, but you will catch on quickly. You are a genius after all," Jane smiled as she gave the smaller woman a squeeze.

"Thank you, Jane," Maura smiled.

"God, you're a beautiful person," there was awe evident in Jane's voice.

"You're biased," Maura teased.

"If getting to lie with you like this makes me biased, then yes, I am. And I hope I will be for a very long time."

_-Finis-_


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